When talking about the French Distant Voices label, I usually go into superlatives. That label deserves this for sure, and this for a couple of reasons. I like the crew behind, for they are really devoted to the scene, preferring craftsmanship and identity above profit. I like the few projects involved, for that’s the kind of Aural Art I do simply adore. But it’s this label as well that does release quite everything in a strictly limited yet totally handmade edition.
After a couple of years of totally silence, French trio Bind Torture Kill strike back, full force ahead, with their third miscreature, called Viscères. In 2014 and 2015 they gained some fame and popularity via their self-produced recordings Bind Torture Kill and Condamné (meaning ‘condemned’), both of them self-released. This second full length (their nameless debut was an EP) was recorded at the Warmaudio Studio in the band’s home city Lyon, and it clocks just over half an hour.
As you can read in my review for Necroheresy’s debut Divine Betrayal (published on June 16th 2015), I was very pleased by the intensity and craftsmanship of this Slovakian band. Those actual and former members of e.g. Karpathia, Silva Nigra, Evil Dead and Aeon Winds did convince me, so I was impatiently waiting for some new material. It took a while, but here they are, once again, with their first full length.
Vihan messU is the name of a very productive solo-project by a Finnish guy called Henri Raekallio. Last decade and this decade, Henri created a whole discography under different monikers, amongst which Vihan messU, which means something like ‘wrath from the masses’ or ‘fair hate’. Via the great Finnish label Patologian Laboratorio Productions, run by Aki Klemm, two Vihan messU recordings were presented to the thankful audience, being this one and an untitled one.
The Bearer of Death… Kalmankantaja is a productive outfit of a productive guy from Finland, Aki ‘Grim666’ Klemm. As musician, he’s involved with bands and projects like Hautakammio, Order Of The White Hand, Lathspell, Oath or Grimirg, amongst others, but he also runs the Patologian Laboratorio Productions label and the Patologian Laboratorio Studio.
One of the first Black Metal formations from New Zealand was (is) Vassafor, a band that has a limited curriculum vitae during the nineties. At the very end of last century, they broke up, but in 2004 Phil Kusabs decided to resurrect his main project. The guy, FYI, is involved with quite some other bands and projects too, but this review deals with higher aforementioned Vassafor, so I’ll stick to this one.
Soul Extremist is the very first release by a young duo (I do not know whether the members are young – just like I am – but the project was formed in 2015, and that’s what I meant with ‘young’ – except, once again, compared to my juvenile virility…). They’re called Temple Of Nihil, hailing from the Kaluga Oblast, somewhere in between Moscow at the one hand, and Ukraine and Belarus at the other.
Vortex might not be that known, but this project by German artist Marcus Stiglegger did release three albums before this one. Being inspired especially by cinematic concepts, ritual heritages and spiritual subjects in general, Marcus permanently searched for conceptual sources to create his evocative Music. With Moloch, Vortex (excerpt from the bio) ‘crafted an apocalyptic soundtrack for urban decay’.
I knew French artist Furniker (real name: Franz Schultz, very French indeed) from some material I heard via Murmure Intemporel, an experimental label from France’s soil. Recently I also received a copy of a new recording by this project of Herr Schulz, this time released via Death Carnival Records, one of the labels by the talented and devoted artist A.Arthur.
You know (or you do not – what do I care anyway) that I have never disliked writing a review for older stuff. I do it with pleasure 1) to be grateful and to pay tribute to the band or label that send me that older stuff, and 2) when I think that this material is worth deserving some (of mine) additional support and promotion whatsoever. Quite the same goes for this review. It deals with the hateful French horde DUX and their peaceful recording Vintras.
